Followers

Stacking up my shelf!! I would like to get all these amazing books to put in my collection. Oh! I already asked my regularly visited bookstore to reserve the books for. I'll be collecting them by the end of the month. Luckily they have all the books. Freaking awesome!!

1916: the Western Front,
France. Private Percy Blakeney wakes up. He is lying on fresh spring
grass. He can hear birdsong, and the wind in the leaves in the trees.
Where has the mud, blood and blasted landscape of No man's Land gone? 2015:
Madison, Wisconsin. Cop Monica Jansson has returned to the burned-out
home of one Willis Linsay, a reclusive and some said mad, others
dangerous, scientist. It was arson but, as is often the way, the firemen
seem to have caused more damage than the fire itself. Stepping through
the wreck of a house, there's no sign of any human remains but on the
mantelpiece Monica finds a curious gadget - a box, containing some
wiring, a three-way switch and a...potato. It is the prototype of an
invention that Linsay called a 'stepper'. An invention he put up on the
web for all the world to see, and use, an invention that would to change
the way mankind viewed his world Earth for ever. And that's an
understatement if ever there was one..-Goodreads

Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling
author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a
new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how
the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale
revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters,
cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which
families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another;
and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at
the times that matter most. Following its characters and the
ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from
Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story
expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and
powerful with each turning page.-Goodreads

Sussex, England. A
middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral.
Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at
the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most
remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He
hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a
pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old
farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past
too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone,
let alone a small boy. Forty years earlier, a man committed
suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse
on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable
ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly
incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise
beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what. A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane
is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows
the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside
and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a
butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark. -Goodreads

After realizing his romantic life is not going in the direction he'd
hoped, Devin Jones decides to take a summer job at an amusement park.
There he makes friends with Tom Kennedy and Erin Cook, also summer hires
at Joyland, which years before had been the scene of the murder of a
young woman named Linda Gray whose ghost is said to be seen at the
Horror House. He also befriends a young boy, named Mike Ross and his
mother, Annie. Their lives all become entwined when Devin decides to
investigate the mystery of Linda Gray's unsolved murder by the "Carny
Killer." -Author's Website

In a world now ravaged
by the viral plague, humanity is reduced to stubborn pockets of
resistance. But if the human race is to have a future, survival is not
enough. Against terrifying odds, they must hunt down the Twelve and
destroy them in their lairs. But something is wrong. The virals'
behaviour is inexplicably changing. And all the clues point toward the
Homeland, a sinister dictatorship where an unlikely trio are
re-imagining humanity s destiny: Horace Guilder, a veteran of the
original experiment with a blood-curdling vision of immortality; Lila
Kyle, a woman whose tragic past has turned her into a figure of
nightmare; and Lawrence Grey, a man whose search for connections has
been fulfilled in the most gruesome way imaginable. And then
there is Amy. The Girl From Nowhere. Once the thirteenth test subject
and now the only human who can fathom the Homeland's secret and truly
enter the hive minds of the Twelve. But what she finds there may spell the end of everything. - Goodreads

n the present day:
As a man-made apocalypse unfolds, three strangers navigate the chaos,
desperate to find others, to survive, to witness the dawn on the other
side of disaster. Lila, a doctor and an expectant mother, has been so
broken by the spread of violence and infection that she continues to
plan for her child’s arrival even as society dissolves around her.
Kittridge, known to the world as “Last Stand in Denver,” has been forced
by loss of electrical power to flee his stronghold and is now on the
road, dodging the infected, armed but alone and well aware that a tank
of gas will get him only so far. April is a teenager fighting to guide
her little brother safely through a minefield of death and ruin. These
three will learn that they have not been fully abandoned—and that in
connection lies hope, even on the darkest of nights.A hundred years in the future: Amy, Peter, Alicia, and the others introduced in The Passage
work with a cast of new characters to hunt the original twelve virals…
unaware that the rules of the game have changed, and that one of them
will have to sacrifice everything to bring the Twelve down.
The scope widens and the intensity deepens as the epic tale of sacrifice and survival begun in The Passage surges forward in its breathtaking sequel—The Twelve.
- See more at: http://enterthepassage.com/the-twelve/#sthash.XAaLldb7.dpuf

WWW Wednesdays: A fun weekly meme hosted by MizB @ Should be Reading. This meme gives the opportunity to readers to share our current reading, book we recently finished, and books we're planning to read next.

What are you currently reading?

Lee Child's Jack Reacher is one of my favorite literary heroes. I am reading the 13th book of Jack Reacher series, "Gone Tomorrow" and I'm juggling between this book with a John Green's novel, "The Fault in Our Stars".

What did you recently finished reading?

"The Light Between Oceans" by M.L. Stedman. This is a good book.Review will be posted soon.

What do you think you'll read next?

I read quite a number of thought provoking books in June, so for this month I would like to have more action and thriller. So, I'm going to read Vince Flynn's "The Last Man" and T.C. McCarthy's "Germline" next.

I'm writing this post at 1.30 in the morning. Wondering what I am doing at this hour when everyone else is sleeping on their beds? Well, I am completing my assignment for tomorrow's presentation. A last minute work as usual. Okay, lets just forget about that. I've been busy lately. I haven't finished any book this week which is quite a disappointment. However, I manage to discover a few books to be added to my TBR piles. Both of the books are from debut authors which I discovered through bookreporter.com , lets check it out!

The Mourning Hour

by Paula Treick DeBoard

A family's loyalty is put to the ultimate test in this haunting and unforgettable debut. Kirsten
Hammarstrom hasn't been home to her tiny corner of rural Wisconsin in
years-not since the mysterious disappearance of a local teenage girl
rocked the town and shattered her family. Kirsten was just nine years
old when Stacy Lemke went missing, and the last person to see her alive
was her boyfriend, Johnny-the high school wrestling star and Kirsten's
older brother. No one knows what to believe-not even those closest to
Johnny-but the event unhinges the quiet farming community and pins
Kirsten's family beneath the crushing weight of suspicion. Now,
years later, a new tragedy forces Kirsten and her siblings to return
home, where they must confront the devastating event that shifted the
trajectory of their lives. Tautly written and beautifully evocative, The
Mourning Hours is a gripping portrayal of a family straining against
extraordinary pressure, and a powerful tale of loyalty, betrayal and
forgiveness. -Goodreads

Sandstorm

by Alan L. Lee

Lurking in the shadows,
away from any government oversight, a secret partnership has been formed
between an Israeli spymaster pulling the strings of the most efficient
killing machine the Mossad has to offer and an exclusive billionaire
boys club that wants to dictate the New World Order. In their pocket is a
powerful U.S. senator who aspires to the presidency. Success means vast
wealth and increased power, and they’ll stop at nothing to succeed. CIA
operative Nora Mossa is trained to kill when the situation calls for
it. She’s also capable of disappearing into thin air. Being efficient,
deadly, and beautiful, however, won’t be enough to protect her after her
mentor Erica Janway is assassinated in her Maryland home. With everyone
in the Agency suspect, Nora turns to the only person capable
of keeping her alive while she uncovers the truth behind Janway’s
demise—her former lover and ex–CIA agent Alex Koves. That is, if he will
even speak to her. With danger lurking in every corner of the
globe, Koves and Nora must stay alive long enough to piece together the
clues to a deadly plot capable of killing thousands in the Middle East.
And the clock is ticking….-Goodreads

Both sounds interesting and I'm so looking forward to read them. But for now I am hitting the sack. Have to wake up early for work. So, I wish you great weekend. Zzzz.....

Born in Grimsby, England, on October 13th 1987, Abby is a compulsive
creative. Growing up, she wrote a ton of songs (some good, some meh),
produced homemade zines, paintings and books. The last one she made with
a stapler and A4 was the first draft of novel Flick. Abby began writing for screen for production company Living Spirit, and
also started reviewing books for the Huffington Post. Since 2010 Abby
has written for, and worked as Books Editor for Phoenix Magazine.

I have read "Golden Boy" and it is one of my favorite reads for 2013. So, today at Coffee&Crackers is so honored to have the author, Abigail Tarttelin, for an exclusive interview.

*****

C&C: How did you become a writer and when was the first time you write a
novel/ story? Can you share with me what was the story all about?

Abigail Tarttelin:
I have always written compulsively but I was really inspired by my
English teacher, who taught me that I had a license and a freedom to
write about anything I wanted. The first novel I ever wrote was Flick. I
started it when I was 19 and finished when I was 21, and I was inspired
to write it because I felt that teenage boys from my region of England
were missing out on a literary voice due to poor education and access to
the publishing industry. With Golden Boy, I felt that a presentation of
an intersex character in a mainstream, accessible novel was a
worthwhile endeavour. I like to have a reason to write and to talk to
people about a certain theme or issue.

C&C: Describe about yourself in one sentence.

Abigail Tarttelin:
Still growing up!

C&C: In your novel, "Golden Boy", you bring forward an issue of
Intersexuality. In your opinion, how does it differs from LGBT? Did you
do any special research on intersexuality? Have you meet anyone who are
intersex?

Abigail Tarttelin:

Like all LGBTQIA issues, intersexuality is something one is born with
and one has little to no control over. I have found that talking about
intersex is different from talking about other LGBT issues because it is
fairly under-represented in literature and culture and therefore
readers have few preconceptions about intersex conditions. It makes it
easier to have an open, accepting conversation with people when they
have no pre-existing bias or beliefs about the condition. I did research
intersexuality because I wanted to be as accurate as possible, although
in writing Max I approached the character from the point of view that
gender wasn't going to play a role in his development; it only has an
impact on his life and voice following the incident at the opening of
the book. I have met intersex people since Golden Boy was published and
I'm happy to say everyone I've spoken to has appreciated the book.

C&C: I am so against abortion religiously and morally. What is your personal opinion about this issue?

Abigail Tarttelin:

Like most Europeans, I believe it is unethical and immoral to force a
woman to carry an embryo against her will, particularly since the
maternal death rate worldwide is unacceptably high, with 800 women dying
every day from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.

C&C: Just wondering, Max's brother, Daniel, does he suffered from any disorder? He sure throw a tantrum a lot.

Abigail Tarttelin:

No he doesn't - but as a ten year old, his emotions are certainly a lot to handle!

C&C: What's your future project? Do you mind sharing?

Abigail Tarttelin:

I'm currently working on a few short stories and my third novel. It's too early to tell what will happen though!

Thank you very much Abigail for the fun interview. I wish you all success for your future projects and your career.

*****

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Walkers are hiding
something, you see. Max is special. Max is different. Max is intersex.
When an enigmatic childhood friend named Hunter steps out of his past
and abuses his trust in the worst possible way, Max is forced to
consider the nature of his well-kept secret. Why won't his parents talk
about it? What else are they hiding from Max about his condition and
from each other? The deeper Max goes, the more questions emerge about
where it all leaves him and what his future holds, especially now that
he's starting to fall head over heels for someone for the first time in
his life. Will his friends accept him if he is no longer the Golden Boy?
Will anyone ever want him — desire him — once they know? And the
biggest one of all, the question he has to look inside himself to
answer: Who is Max Walker, really? - Goodreads

In the faery slums of
Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words.
Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings--Peculiars--and neither faeries
nor humans want anything to do with them. One day a mysterious
lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley.
Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she
want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a
whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the
alley--Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed. First
he's noticed by the lady in plum herself, then by something darkly
magical and mysterious, by Jack Box and the Raggedy Man, by the powerful
Mr. Lickerish and by Arthur Jelliby, a young man trying to slip
through the world unnoticed, too, and who, against all odds, offers
Bartholomew friendship and a way to belong. - Goodreads

My Review

First off, I really liked the cover, the clockwork bird. Story-wise I have a mixed feeling about this book. I like the whole idea, faeries, clockwork devices, the changelings, peculiar, and magic. However, the story turned out just okay and way below my expectation. The ideas which I think very brilliant and inventive are not well delivered resulting in a monotonous read. Is it because this is a middle grade book? Well, I reckon it is, because I have a feeling that the middle graders will love this book a tad more than I do.

Bartholomew and his sister Hettie are changelings a.k.a the "Peculiars". Their mother keeps them away from the society in fear that people will know who or to be exact what they really are. Mr Lickerish is hunting down the peculiar children to unlock the door to the fairy world. Nine children die mysteriously and the door Hettie is the next changeling abducted by Lickerish, and Barthe has to save her. Together with Mr Jelliby, who accidentally knows Lickerish's secrets, they go on an adventure to save Hettie.

I have to admit that "The Peculiar" is a well written story. Yes well written indeed. But the issue here is, the author plays a lot with difficult and bombastic words which make it difficult for me to understand the story. The sentences are too well structured and I don't think that the descriptive storytelling and poetic language that Bachmann uses to narrate this is a brilliant idea. Consider this is an adventure story, an outgoing and reckless narration would suit it better, or so I thought. I can see that Bachmann focuses more on the world development and missed out the importance of the character development which make the characters a bit dull.

Will I recommend this book to middle graders? Well yes, of course! Despite of all the flaws stated, I believe that "The Peculiar" would be a promising read for younger readers. Considering the fact that Bachmann has written this book when he was just 16 year old, more credits should be given to him.

The Friday 56 is a fun weekly meme hosted by Freda of Freda's Voice. I'm currently reading a novel by Devon Monk, "Dead Iron". This book is action thriller steampunk novel. I rarely read something from this genre however this book caught my attention. "Dead Iron" is the first book of "Age of Steam" series.

"For good reason. Jeb Lindson felt the ground give way as he was pulled by the tickers over the cliff's edge, and down to his death." -Dead Iron, 56%

I've been listening to a few covers of this song on youtube.com i.e Boyce Avenue ft. 5th Harmony and Cimorelli's covers before I listen to the original. It melodiously and lyrically great and I loved it. I know that this song will stick in my head for quite sometime.

It's like you're my mirror My mirror staring back at meI couldn't get any biggerWith anyone else beside of meAnd now it's clear as this promiseThat we're making two reflections into one 'Cause it's like you're my mirrorMy mirror staring back at me, staring back at me..

The Walkers are hiding
something, you see. Max is special. Max is different. Max is intersex.
When an enigmatic childhood friend named Hunter steps out of his past
and abuses his trust in the worst possible way, Max is forced to
consider the nature of his well-kept secret. Why won't his parents talk
about it? What else are they hiding from Max about his condition and
from each other? The deeper Max goes, the more questions emerge about
where it all leaves him and what his future holds, especially now that
he's starting to fall head over heels for someone for the first time in
his life. Will his friends accept him if he is no longer the Golden Boy?
Will anyone ever want him — desire him — once they know? And the
biggest one of all, the question he has to look inside himself to
answer: Who is Max Walker, really? - Goodreads

My Review

What will I do if I am in Max Walker's shoes? That is the question I ask myself once I finished reading this book. Little did I know about intersexuality, however Abigail Tartttelin, with her incredible writing talent, surprised me with "Golden Boy". This is definitely a gripping novel of gender and identity, which plays with the readers emotion and at the same time gives the readers a new perception of gender conflicts exist in the society.

Max Walker is an intersex, but it was not a big issue for him. He was all athletic, brilliant, handsome, a perfect child to his parents, an idol to his brother, and a charming boyfriend to the schoolgirls. He was a "Golden Boy" .But, in one terrible night he was raped by his childhood friend, Hunter. The rape scene was the hardest part to read, it was awful that I even closed my eyes, as if I can feel the pain myself.

"He's too big. The stretching snaps, stops, and turn to splitting. I can feel skin tearing down there"

To make things worst, Max even got pregnant. This accident rocks his world so hard and everything around him crumbled apart. His parents argued a lot and his relationship with Sylvie was broken up. He was forced to make one hardest decision after another and it was really heartbreaking.

At the beginning of the story, Daniel, Max's little brother mentioned that he wanted to write a story about his brother. So I was a bit skeptical as I thought "Oh, no! Will this be a story told from a seven year old POV?" However, I am glad that Abigail chose to tell the story from multiple points of view. For this kind of story, I really think that a multiple narration is brilliant because readers can understand the conflicts highlighted from different perspectives. For example, from Max's eyes I think that his mother's decisions were mostly wrong, especially when Max asked her to stop the abortion and give him more time to think over but she just ignored it. But when reading from Karen's perspective I kind of understand what made her to come into such a decision. Well, being a parents is not easy.

Some people may not like Karen and Steve, Max's parents, because most of the decisions they made seems wrong and selfish, but all they did is just to keep their children and family safe. When Steve runs for the election, he put his family away from the limelight. I thought that all he cares is his reputation and his chance to be elected will be effected if Max's secret becomes public, but actually Steve is doing the right thing because if the secret leaks out, it will do more damages to Max's life. I liked Max's girlfriend, Sylvie. She's so understanding, and matured. Definitely, not an average girl. And they look so cute together! But the reason I give this book four stars instead of five is because there are several characters which supposed to give more impact to the story are underdeveloped. For example Archie, one of Max's doctors, and of course Hunter. I wish that I could get to know him more.

"We thought we understood gender - the idea of men and women as finite concepts with boundaries between each other, but lately I have come to understand that we are only just beginning to comprehend what 'gender' is, what it means to be allocated a certain gender, how much that informs the person a child becomes.." - Dr. Archie

All in all, I really enjoyed "Golden Boy". One of my favorite reads this year. This book gives me a new perception of gender issues. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, all these I considered as a spectrum of mental disorders. But, intersex is just a totally different issue. Totally recommended for teenagers and adults alike.